Contributors - Contributor Biographies

A contributor biography is very much as it sounds

Experts, specialists and A list talent who undertake key roles or perform key roles on a production will usually be represented by a bio in any marketing for the film, such as press kits.

Key above-the-line production personnel will also been given biographies in a press folder:

• Producer
• Director
• Screenwriter
• Principal Actors

Contributors - Public

Occasionally, public bodies and the public itself will be invited to play a key role in a production.

A city may enable production by allowing or supporting filming in particular locations within its limits.

The public may be asked to congregate for crowd scenes.

Contributors - Talent

“Talent” on a film are the specialist performers – actors, dancers, singers.

The word talent is often used to refer to ‘A’ list celebrities and those performers who have been cast in principle roles.

Their achievements and pedigree naturally stem from having developed and honed highly specialist performance skills.

Contributors - Experts

• During the research and development stages of a project many producers will recruit experts in particular fields to make sure that representations of individuals, types, groups, places, activities or events are constructed in a way that is authentic and accurate. 
• Example: The producer of a war film may recruit historical researchers to make sure that recreations of past events remain within the boundaries of what is generally accepted to be historically correct according to the majority of academics in the field.

Contributors - Specialists

Contributors – Specialists

Specialists are people with an advanced skillset in a particular area.

Specialists are often hired:

• To oversee highly technical operations
• To train, where specialised skills need to be learned in short periods of time
• To undertake key production roles

Technical Specialists

In an aerial dogfight involved two fighter p lanes, specialist pilots would be recruited to fly the planes.

Specialist Trainers

In a Kung fu fight scene a martial arts specialist might be recruited to train actors who have to perform the fight moves in the scene.

Production Specialists

Occasionally, a third party specialist may be recruited into a film department to handle particular types of production work requiring highly specialised technical skills. For example a drone camera operator might be hired to record aerial footage of a location to establish a setting.

Timescales for Clearances

You need to get the correct waiver forms secured to production and for a short film you have roughly about 4-6 weeks to get these.

 So you need waiver forms for the music in your film that's if you have taken it from an already existing piece of music. Actor release forms for all the talent in your production.

 Minor release forms for anyone under the age of 18 and it has to be signed by a parent or guardian. location recce forms to make sure that the location is ready for use so all the health and safety checks have been thoroughly done. 

Finally the copyright waiver forms is a form that needs to be signed for anyone who is on production working there for free.  

Availability of Personnel

When trying to recruit people to being in your crew you need to know the key dates and their hours of availability to work so you can set your production during those days. The key questions to ask the people are:

• Do you have any holidays booked?
• Do you have a job?
• What times during the week are you free?

These questions are important because you want people who are free during the production stage and made sure they are set in stone so it doesn't interfere with your schedule of filming. 

Availability of Equipment

Availability of Equipment:
The equipment available to you is during production, post-production.

Equipment we have access to:
A range of Cameras

• Canon Legria R28 HF
• Sony DCR-VX2100E including blank media tapes
• Lenses
• Fluid Head – TH 650DV
• Tripods
• Avid
  
  
• Speakers
• Headphones
• iMovie
• Mac Mini
• Mac books
• Laptops
• Boom pole
• Tescam (sound recorder)
• Dido Lights

Time - Deadlines

Time

Time is about deadlines, the availability of equipment, and availability of personnel, timescales for clearances.

Deadlines
Deadlines for shooting are very vital to the pre-production process. You need to know the 1st day of principle photography, this means you need all the pre-production must be done by that date. You need to know when the last day of the shoot is because you need to know how long you need the equipment for and when the editing needs to start.

Picture lock is a stage in editing a film or editing a television production but only the pictures/recording is edited. Sound lock comes after picture lock so all the sound is edited into the film. Music is then introduced. Deadlines for visual effects are very important. Sound mixing is then done to the film. Colour correction is then done to the film, so it is carefully analysed to get all the colours that match together. Finally delivery occurs. Once all the deadlines have past their date they cannot be done afterwards.